Alaska flight delayed for nearly 9 hours with all passengers on board

Passengers say it took hours for their flight to be delayed – and they were already on board the airplane.

Author:
KING 5 Staff

Published:02/26/18

Passengers traveling from Minnesota to Seattle say Alaska Airlines took nearly nine hours to cancel the flight with everyone on board.

Travelers spent Saturday night in Minneapolis after the flight was cancelled, and the flight finally took off Sunday afternoon after a few more delays.

During the nearly nine-hour delay, passengers said the plane was deiced multiple times and had to go back to the gate to refuel and flush the lavatories.

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“Ran out of food, we ran out of water,” said passenger Michelle Rittereiser. “Luckily we went back to get more, but I think at the end of it we were pretty tired and wanted to get home.”

Alaska said safety is a priority, and the severe weather in Minneapolis “triggered some challenges” to normal procedures.

“Our crew made the right decisions given the conditions and challenges they faced,” an Alaska spokesperson said in a statement. “During the returns to the gate, passengers were given opportunities to deplane but none of them did.”

Passengers also say they were compensated with a travel voucher.

After the ordeal was over, passengers said they were just grateful to be home.

“We finally got in the air and everyone was cheering and screaming, and then we landed and everyone did the same thing,” said Jenny Pilato. “Everyone was just happy to be home.”